Basker Ducal Residence
"I'm the eldest son."
"Suddenly? So you have siblings too?"
"I have one older sister and three younger sisters."
Haneul's eyes went wide.
"The heir, huh?"
"Since my older sister and younger sisters all renounced their succession rights, I guess that's how it is."
"Impressive. So, when do you think your dad might pass away? Is he still healthy? Oh, of course, I'm not hoping the duke dies or anything."
"My father is insane."
Passing through a secret passage hidden in the inn's floor, they emerged at the edge of a remote alley in the city. There, Raman—no, Rahman—blurted out something utterly absurd.
His claim of being the eldest son had already come out of nowhere, but calling his father insane took the cake.
"He rarely has his wits about him."
"Ooh... Are you holding a grudge because I badmouthed him? If so, sorry. I would've been more careful if I'd known he was your dad."
She meant she'd curse a bit more cautiously next time.
"If that's not it, don't worry about it. No need to be embarrassed. I hardly have my wits about me either. But why bring it up out of the blue like that?"
"It's something you two need to know. That's why I didn't want to bring you along."
Rahman clicked his tongue and continued.
"I don't know when it started, but at some point, my father began suffering from mania."
Sometimes he'd act senile, other times he'd solve every problem like a sage who grasped ultimate truths, and the next day he'd rampage like a demon possessed. One day he'd torture servants, another he'd chew raw human flesh, and yet another he'd weep tears of blood over his own deeds.
They'd stopped his suicide attempts dozens of times, blocked them hundreds more. They'd curbed his tyranny thousands of times over.
If he were always mad, it might be easier to bear. But every so often, he'd snap back to sanity and feel guilt for his actions, which was torture for anyone watching.
The elders even suggested killing the duke outright.
Of course, that was nonsense.
If you asked who in this city was closest to the gods, everyone would name Duke Basker.
There was no one but him who could communicate with the divine. Even the sole heir, Rahman, was the same.
Without divine communion, the city couldn't survive. The knights' power to repel monsters came from the gods' authority.
So they had no choice but to keep the duke alive until another who could speak to the gods appeared.
And the most likely candidate was Rahman himself—but he'd never once heard the gods' voice.
"What a nightmare."
"...In crude terms, yeah."
"Is that why he never shows his face in public?"
Rahman looked at Haneul with fresh surprise.
"You seem to know the Basker situation better than I expected, like you came from another city."
Knowing the Basker situation meant knowing both the ducal house and the city—since the city was named Basker after the family.
In a godless world without kings, such things were possible.
This was the mad, chaotic reality they lived in.
"I come from the future, so yeah, I know."
"Anyway, just know the family is doing everything to keep him contained due to his eerie mania. It'll be useful info."
Evidently deeming it unworthy of a response, Rahman brushed off Haneul's words.
"Once we reach the ducal residence, be cautious about everything. He seems fine, but I'm worried about you. Even if you could slaughter everyone in this city, same deal. Stay alert, and don't trust everything you see. We're only human, after all."
Humans couldn't defy the gods—that was the verbose gist.
Still, coming from the son of the Basker duke—the closest to the divine in this city—it carried weight.
"How do you protect people in a household like that?"
"There are ways."
"What if we bump into someone and get our heads chopped off?"
"We'll just avoid bumping into anyone."
"Why tell us all this suddenly?"
Rahman ignored Haneul's question.
"Not gonna answer? Fine by me. I talk to myself plenty. Your ears are gonna bleed, Rahman. Brace yourself. Hye-seo, cover your ears."
After that, Haneul kept muttering to herself nonstop.
They crossed the forest, forded the lake, passed another massive wall within the city, and finally arrived at the ducal residence—where she clamped her mouth shut.
"Whoa, yeah, no chance of running into anyone here."
Mansion felt like an understatement. A castle? It looked like a mansion but was palace-sized.
Haneul nodded in surrender.
"Fair. This is safe enough."
"Didn't you say you were from the future? You're acting like it's your first time seeing the ducal mansion."
"It's hidden behind these huge walls, so I never saw it before. By the time I got here, only ruins were left."
The Basker ducal house sat at the center, ringed by its own walls inside the city's.
Even if monsters breached, they'd devour the outer residents first, keeping the duke safe—and hiding his madness.
But it wasn't all upsides. Isolated like this, they were strong against external threats but vulnerable to internal ones.
The collapsed mansion and blood-soaked ruins Haneul had seen when she methodically slew the nobles to breach the walls proved it.
"You keep dropping these casually; it's getting confusing."
"It's not confusing—it's true."
"Without proof?"
"In a world with gods, what's so special about time travel?"
Unable to counter, Rahman sighed deeply and rubbed his face.
Haneul watched him, then turned back to the mansion.
"But weird. Why isn't your face known, Rahman? As the heir, shouldn't you be famous?"
"I've never appeared publicly. Or rather, that's how I wanted it."
"Still, no rumors at all? That's odd."
"I used proxies. Even in the mansion, only a handful recognize me."
"Why go that far?"
"Fame would make this impossible."
This meaning helping and sheltering people, no doubt.
"Know what happens if a noble—especially the duke's son—starts rescuing people and caring for slaves?"
"People would say it's only possible because you're drowning in money and time. I'd trash you for it too if I were rich."
"You get it. Do it, and they envy you; don't, and they resent you anyway. Tons of downsides. Fine for playboys, not for me."
"You hid because the noble title was a hassle?"
"Yeah. Sounds arrogant from me, but heir training from childhood opened my eyes early. Made it possible."
Indeed, Rahman had always thought differently, even as a boy.
What noble would hide their identity like that? Heir training should breed noble pride, yet he'd made the hard choice.
The saint who said "Let not the left hand know what the right does" would smile approvingly.
And that choice got him killed by the knights meant to protect the house.
Irony at its finest.
"That's enough about me. Before entering the mansion, one more thing to know."
"Yeah? What?"
"When you meet my father... Duke Gallael Basker, never meet his eyes. Of course, you won't if you stay in designated areas."
Ignoring whether Haneul replied, Rahman pressed on.
"And don't even glance at the duke's residence area."
Haneul whipped her head away the moment she heard it. The duke's quarters were likely the top floors of that towering mansion.
As her gaze drifted up, Rahman stepped in front, shaking his head.
"Please, just don't."
"Why?"
"...Hard to explain here. I'll tell you when you're ready, so behave for now. I'll explain what you asked earlier too."
She'd asked why tell them about his father.
Frankly, bringing Haneul and Hye-seo to the ducal house was a radical move, even for a life-or-death matter. No need to escort them inside; just fetch the protector for verification.
Haneul had thought the same.
Yet here they were, so Rahman had ulterior motives.
Still, Haneul nodded. He'd helped her big once before; she could play along this time.
"Got it. Anything else?"
"Other precautions you'll hear inside. Now the last one... Think of it as a personal request. Honor or whatever, I'll make it up to you somehow. I have to prove my words aren't lies. Though it does protect my honor too..."
"The young duke begging? Gotta hear you out. What is it? Spill."
Rahman's gaze flicked to Hye-seo, lingered on Haneul, then he sighed with a troubled look before speaking.
"You have to wear maid outfits."
Haneul and Hye-seo locked eyes, as if on cue.
Now it made sense how he protected his charges.
*****
"Whoa... Haneul, you look seriously pretty. Like a character who jumped out of an anime... Wow..."
"That's me."
Stunned by Haneul's words, Hye-seo soon started fidgeting and twisting her body shyly.
She seemed to crave praise, so Haneul returned the favor.
"It suits you too, Hye-seo."
No lie—it really did. If Haneul looked like a maid cosplayer in the mirror, Hye-seo evoked the kind of maid who stirred noble hearts.
"Hehe... I always wanted to try something like this. And it's not even cosplay...? Real maids wear this... Hehehe..."
Not lewd, not uncomfortable. Surprisingly practical despite the design.
There was a reason servants wore it.
Hye-seo admired herself in the full-length mirror, twisting this way and that.
Whatever made Rahman so hesitant, Hye-seo was just thrilled.
Pity she left her phone in the office to avoid tracking—no selfies.
"Hye-seo, your waist ties are messed up. Hold still."
"Oh... really?"
"Yeah, you don't tie it in the back—you loop it around to the front... like this."
Haneul retied Hye-seo's waist, smoothed her skirt pleats.
"Wear the shoes as-is today; tomorrow, break them in by stomping a bit—less foot pain. Later, shorten the sleeves by a handspan and add a button. I'll sew it if you can't. Rollable sleeves make dishwashing easier. Sew a pocket under the skirt too. Get a separate garter belt for your dagger... Nah, you don't need one, Hye-seo?"
Realizing she didn't need one either, Haneul fished a dagger from under her skirt and stored it in her subspace. Hye-seo gaped.
"Whoa... garter belt... insane."
"Starch the aprons and hats when laundering—they stay crisp and look better. I'll snag some from the kitchen."
"Haneul's so cool... You've worn this before?"
"Yeah."
Over 200 times as a maid—thousands of years by calendar.
"While I'm at it, I'll grab rosemary leaves from the garden later. Stick 'em in your wardrobe for fresh scent."
Normally, instant firing or worse—but with 2,000 years' experience, Haneul could steal undetected.
"That's basically a diffuser...! Amazing!"
"Diffuser? What's that, air freshener? Yeah, diffuser it is. All set—let's go."
After a final once-over of Hye-seo's outfit, Haneul stretched and left the changing room.
Her eyes met a middle-aged man standing silently at the corridor's end. Hye-seo, following, spotted him and jumped, eyes bulging.
He wasn't walking toward them or away—just standing at the ornate mansion hallway's end, clad in dark clothes.
Hollow-eyed, gaunt-cheeked. Dull gaze, disheveled hair—like a ghost.
His breathing sounded off, like he didn't need to but did anyway.
Expressionless, he stared at Haneul and Hye-seo.
Staring contest? Bring it.
Haneul locked eyes immediately, vowing not to blink even if blood tears fell.
Peppers might be gone, but a man's spirit endured. In the central plains, she'd draw steel and assert dominance; demon realm, instant deathmatch. Mere staring? Pfft.
Losing or fleeing was disgraceful.
About ten seconds in, the man smiled faintly and spoke.
"New servants, I see."
His voice was cracked, torn, metallic—like swallowing a bowl of sand.
For some reason, hearing it clicked for Haneul: this was Duke Gallael Basker.
Damn, looks nothing like the pictures—didn't recognize him.
She wasn't confident in winning a fight, and tangling before hearing Rahman's full intent spelled trouble.
So she hesitated. Balls gone—maybe dodge this once?